Water’s the word at forum

Deirdre Newman

NEWPORT BEACH -- Residents who attended a forum on water quality on

Saturday were flooded with information about local organizations and city

policies that focus on cleaner water.

About 70 people attended the forum at the Oasis Senior Center, which

was sponsored by SPON -- Stop Polluting Our Newport.

In addition to enlightening attendees about the quality of local

waterways, SPON also hoped to inspire them to action. A battle is looming

on June 26 when the Orange County Sanitation District considers whether

or not it will apply for another waiver to continue treating half of the

sewage dumped into the ocean at a lower level than the rest.

“We want them to be more aware and get a little more detail on what’s

going on now so they can participate and be more effective,” said Sandy

Genis.

The forum featured four speakers -- Gary Brown, executive director of

CoastKeepers; Jan Vandersloot, leader of the Ocean Outfall Group; Dave

Kiff, Newport Beach Assistant City Manager; and Bob Caustin, founder of

Defend the Bay.

Vandersloot discussed the health risks and economic ramifications that

occur when the area’s beaches are polluted, citing the 1999 Huntington

Beach closures that took a toll on the city’s tourism market.

Since the Ocean Outfall Group is at the vanguard of opposition to the

waiver, Vandersloot exhorted residents to show up in full force on the

26th to protest a waiver extension. If the district decides to treat all

the sewage at the higher, secondary level, it would only cost residents

an additional $30 a year, Vandersloot said.

While Newport Beach has done a commendable job tackling some water

quality issues, there is still a lot more that can be done by the city

and its residents, like requiring new properties to have zero runoff and

reducing wasteful water use, said Kiff.

Many residents said they learned valuable information about an issue

that is significant to the entire city.

“I wish the whole city’s of Newport Beach could hear it,” said

resident Mildred Little. “The issues are easily solved, but not on

everyone’s front page.”